Page type: Result notation (illustrative worked fixture)
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Read the dormie state
Dormie 2 means Alex is 2 up with 2 holes to play. Alex is not yet the winner because the lead is equal to the holes remaining, not greater than them.
What can happen next
A tied or Alex-won next hole makes the lead greater than the holes left and decides the match. Dormie does not mean the leader cannot lose an extended match: Ben can win all 2 scheduled holes, and an extension can follow where the Terms do not permit a tie.
Illustrative gross-score fixture
The table uses invented 4 and 5 gross scores to create a live dormie state without an earlier decision. It is instructional data only, not historical scoring or a handicap calculation.
Table
| Hole | Alex gross | Ben gross | Hole result | Cumulative match lead after hole | Holes remaining |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 4 | Hole tied | All square | 8 |
| 2 | 4 | 4 | Hole tied | All square | 7 |
| 3 | 4 | 4 | Hole tied | All square | 6 |
| 4 | 4 | 4 | Hole tied | All square | 5 |
| 5 | 4 | 4 | Hole tied | All square | 4 |
| 6 | 4 | 5 | Alex won | Alex 1 up | 3 |
| 7 | 4 | 5 | Alex won | Alex 2 up | 2 |
Worked example
Illustrative live-state fixture only: Alex is 2 up with 2 left, so the match is dormie but not decided.
Rule reference: Rules of Golf (2023), Rule 3.2a(1), (3) and (4)
Sources: www.randa.org
Common questions
Does dormie 2 mean Alex has already won?
No. At dormie 2 in this 9-hole match, Alex leads by exactly 2 with 2 to play -- the same number of holes as remain -- so Rule 3.2a(3) (a lead greater than the holes left) has not yet been met; Alex has not already won.
What result ends the match from dormie?
From dormie 2 in a 9-hole match (Alex 2 up with 2 to play), any hole Alex ties or wins on holes 8 to 9 makes Alex's lead exceed the holes left and ends the match under Rule 3.2a(3); only Ben winning every one of those final 2 holes avoids that and brings the match back to all square.
Can the player who is dormie lose?
Yes. If Ben wins all 2 of the remaining holes from dormie 2, the match reaches all square at hole 9. Where a tie may not stand under the Terms of the Competition, Rule 3.2a(4) sends the match to extra holes, and Alex -- who was dormie 2 -- can still lose from there.
Is dormie the same as being 1 up?
Not necessarily. Dormie 2 specifically means 2 up with 2 holes remaining in this 9-hole match (hole 7 onward); being "2 up" alone says nothing about how many holes are left, while dormie 2 fixes both numbers to the same value.
Are the scores in this card historical?
No. This dormie-2 card's Alex, Ben and every gross score through hole 7 are invented teaching data built to land on exactly 2 up with 2 to play in a 9-hole fixture, not an account of a real round.
Do handicap strokes change this example?
This fixture uses simple gross scores with no handicap strokes applied anywhere in the 9-hole card. A handicap match reaching dormie 2 would need the applicable strokes allocated by hole first (see the stroke allocator), since a stroke on one of the remaining 2 holes can change which player actually needs to win it.